To expect my daughter to have access to non halal meat

[Bushmillsbabe]

My daughters school now has only halal meat available for their school lunches.

I personally do not wish my child to have halal meat, I think its more cruel than other slaughter methods, however this thread is not intended to debate which is worse/better.

She is dairy and gluten intolerant, and her safe options tended to be things like roast chicken, the vegetarian options usually contain dairy. The pork sausages contain gluten so she would have the chicken sausages, she also eats burgers and meatballs but these are now also halal.

So if I don't give her halal meat, she is left with jacket potato with beans every day, which she does eat, but doesn't want to have every day.

I fully respect that Muslim parents wish their child to have halal meat, but am I wrong in thinking my dietary preferences for my daughter should also be respected and she should have access to non halal meat?

@Sharptonguedwoman and other posters who object - do you ever eat takewaways? Because if you object to halal you probably ought to take them off your menu.
I'm veggie, verging on vegan so am of the opinion that meat isn't great for us or the environment in general. Never mind the cruelty. Doesn't make me a better person, but does mean I don't have a convoluted view on levels of cruelty and which ones are acceptable.

I expect it is about cost.

Idk, I don’t think cheap meat is a particularly good idea whether it’s halal or non-halal. Esp chicken.

I gave up eating meat a couple of years ago and it does make like a lot simpler, not worrying about where it’s come from. I don’t think it’s particularly wrong to eat some meat if it’s ethically raised etc. but we all need to eat a lot less of it. I basically thought if I don’t eat any meat, someone else can be eating my cows, as Joey in Friends said (as I’m not particularly fussed about it and some
people seem to be).

My daughters school now has only halal meat available for their school lunches.

The pork sausages contain gluten

🤔

This isn't about being a vegetarian or vegan though, it's about access to non halal meat. I wouldn't choose to eat halal if I could possibly avoid it.
We all have to sort out in our own minds what we find acceptable. I don't find halal acceptable. I eat very few takeaways and I'm not interested in being vegetarian or vegan, thanks.

It’s naive of you to think that non halal meat is any less cruel. If something wants to live, it cant be killed humanely imo, and it’s not just about the slaughter process but the welfare before. Guaranteed the conditions for the animals will have been equally shit for cheap school meat.

Fair enough @Sharptonguedwoman, but you should probably eat no takeaways rather than 'very few' if you don't want to eat halal. Simple. Then your moral universe makes better sense. Honestly unless you only eat super traceable locally reared meat which you cook yourself you have no idea of its slaughtering provenance.

Does that apply to other minority groups? Try switching white or heterosexual in there. And ask yourself if it is really as simple as majority leads. I don't want to live in a country that believes it is ok to ride roughshod over other people.

As a further checking point to this, also consider countries where Christians are the minority and oppressed for their beliefs. I assume you think that is ok. If not, ask yourself why not, if majority leads.

Thinly veiled Islamophobia is still Islamophobia

Thank you but I don't think I requested an assessment of my naivety. You do you and I will continue to do me.

Well, I think you're misconstruing things now.

You appearing to be agreeing that food should be vegan/vegetarian (not surprisingly if you are vegan - although I hadn't noticed that) and I was sharing the reaction that schools have received at the idea.

Not everything is an attack.

Where did I agree with that when I specifically picked out the part of the comment I was talking about?

Example of doubling down.

Most halal meat is stunned before slaughter and is no more cruel than non-halal.

Moaning about halal meat in schools but not addressing the wider issues around animal welfare just makes you sound ignorant and islamophobic.

Maybe I went a roundabout route to it so it was better than what I had tried previously?

The Oatly one is the one that I like, I had been through all of the soya / almond milks to get there and settled happily.

Anyways, I like it in tea. Not for everyone though.

What is not true?

OP do you also refrain from consuming dairy products given the inherent cruelty of the dairy industry?

I did not want to say it but….

The OP has clarified the origin of her question multiple times. I don't believe she is 'islamophobic', whatever that even means.

In this country, and in the west in general, it is considered appropriate to have discussions around religion and its influence. If you would prefer to shut down anyone who questions religion, I'd suggest that there are many other countries to live in that would be better suited to your particular sensitivities. I suspect, however, that those societies wouldn't be to your liking either, so we're stuck with freedom of opinion.

For what it's worth, I'm vegan, so no method of slaughter can be considered 'humane' in my book. I'd prefer to see a further expansion of vegetarian meals offered in schools to avoid this kind of division as I don't think it's a positive message to send to kids. Fundamentally, I think the issue here is that the school seems to be lacking in its capacity to offer suitable gluten-free alternatives.

In this country, and in the west in general, it is considered appropriate to have discussions around religion and its influence.

🤔

And virtue signalling is still virtue signalling.

British school = British food

And school lunches have absolutely nothing to do with white or heterosexual.
That's ridiculous.

My parents live in Spain.
In Spanish schools they serve Spanish food or parents can send packed lunches
Also, English parents can choose to send their children to the few English schools they have there.

In other countries they don't have all the virtue signalling we have here.

So if a prayer is said over an animal that was farmed and slaughtered in the UK, it is somehow no longer British? Listen to yourself.

If someone doesn't want their child eating halal meat, and that is what their school offers, what is to stop them sending them in with a packed lunch?

You completely missed my point, which wasn't about lunch. If only the majority matters, which is what you stated, then other minority groups don't matter either. It is the same basic principle. You just don't like having your prejudices pointed out.

British school = British food

God, how boring! No pasta, no rice-based dishes, limited fruit and veg… no thanks!

I have no prejudices and I am offended by your allegation.

I am also continuously offended by the virtue signalling.

You completely missed MY point.
I am asking what is to stop parents who prefer Halal, sending in packed lunches?
Instead of Halal being served for a minority?

And virtue signalling is still virtue signalling
British school = British food

Better ban pizzas as well then. Bet that'll go down well with the kids.
Or wait - is that ok? Is it the "right type' of foreign?!

Can you define "British food?"

I still don't get why people care how the chicken was killed. The chicken didn't obviously want to die

I get your point. According to the census Muslim people make up 6.5% of the population. It’s a bit disproportionate to have all halal meat. I’m atheist so would prefer religion was not a part of the food chain.